A comment spammer speaks

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I was reading comments on a blog tonight and came across this gem:

Some of our previous comments may include links that are no longer valid or that do not have a nofollow value. They might very well lead you today to a third party. Therefore, I ask you, if you would be so kind, to please delete or disregard those comments.

Many thanks and best wishes,

Iza, Roberto Iza

Muy Señores Míos:

Algunos de nuestros comentarios incluyen vínculos rotos que bien pudieran llevar hoy a una tercera persona. Por tanto, le rogamos, por favor, que los deseche o desestime.

Gracias y recuerdos

Iza, Roberto Iza

Is this what I think it is? A comment spammer asking the blogger to delete/disregard his comments? Ha!

Aviation Pic of The Week

I’m starting something new: the Aviation Pic of the Week. This is going to be a hard resolution to keep, because I love airplanes and will want to post more. I could stare at them all day long, doing their thing or just sitting on the ground, and never get tired of it. For this week, a perspective I hope to one day get on flying:

How not to frame your goals

Let’s take a few common goals/New Years’ resolutions:

• Lose weight
• Eat less junk food
• Exercise more
• Spend less and get out of debt
• Spend less time working and more time with family

What’s one big reason these don’t work? They’re all phrased in the NEGATIVE.

Don’t Phrase Your Goals in the Negative Phrase Your Goals in the Positive
Here are some good goal examples:

• My goal is to be a fit, toned, 180lbs
  My goal is to eat foods that make me feel good after I’ve eaten them (Ever notice that sickly feeling after pizza? Yeah you do.)
• My goal is to improve my effectiveness by focusing on one thing at a time.
• My goal is to get more work accomplished by using tools to track the amount of time I waste procrastinating online, and make the necessary corrections.
• My goal is to maintain a positive cashflow and feel good about my spending habits by sticking to my budget.

How this worked for me this week:
My weight fluxuates about 7lbs or so, like I imagine it does for just about everybody. My new-ish khaki’s shocked me on Monday when I put them on, there was no way I could wear them. I swear they’re shrinking, but that’s another story). That told me I had to be good this week because some of my dress pants and jeans are on the small side. Add some complexity: it was a week of business lunches, TechCocktail, and there was leftover Oberweis Chocolate Avalanche cake from Art’s birthday sitting in the freezer, spitting distance from my desk. I needed serious willpower to resist.

So, instead of saying to myself “I won’t eat cake, I won’t eat cake,” I let “I’m going to eat healthy, nutritious food” run through my head. Results:

• That client lunch on Tuesday at Portillo’s: Parmesean Chicken Caesar with dressing on the side (WOW was the chicken good).
• Wednesday’s Lunch: Another chicken caesar, not as good as Tuesday’s.
• Thursday dinner at John Barleycorn: YACCS (Yet Another Chicken Caesar Salad). It got old, but I rewarded myself on Friday with a piece of that cake AND a 5-alarm burger at Red Robin that night).

The proof is in the pudding, though. I just tried the khaki’s on. They’re still a little snug, but nothing like Monday. I’m going to employ a bit more of that positive reinforcement this weekend (and I seriously think they are shrinking–cold water from here on out).

How to think about making big changes

Hi, I’m Tim, and I’m a recovering perfectionist.

I’m on a journey towards taking more responsibility for the changes and improvements I can make and actually making them, and letting go of the things I can’t. Lately I’ve been learning to make small changes and celebrate the small improvements.

“How do you eat an elephant?,” my grandpa always asks; “one bite at a time.”

How to think about making big changes:

• Break big challenges down into small, manageable actions.
• Start implementing small changes.
• Acknowledge and accept that improved habits are more important than wholesale change.
• Once you’ve mastered the first step in a big change, move on to the next.

Personal Areas of Improvement

With that, here are a few simple areas I’m improving right now, step at a time:

• Kicking the multi-tasking habit - Do one thing at a time, then go on to the next thing. About a week ago I started making a concerted effort to clear the inbox at my desk. Before it was filled with trade publications, article clippings, and various bits of inspiration waiting to be acted upon. Now, one or two mornings a week, I walk away from my email and browser, review each item, and either create a to-do, add it to my calendar, file it for later, or throw it away. The GTD workflow has been a big help to me in learning how to handle this.
• Keeping up my filing system - I’m a neat person, and by that I mean neatly stacked piles of clutter, all arranged in straight rows. I tend to leave half-finished projects on my desk, cluttering my workspace as well as my mind. A couple weeks ago I had enough, commandeered one of the office label makers, set it on top of my filing cabinet, and put a bunch of spare manilla and hanging folders in my drawer. Now I have no excuse not to file, and I make new folders as necessary when clearing my inbox. My system isn’t perfect and my folders aren’t pretty, but that can come later. What matters is I’m getting in the filing habit.
• Writing everything down - One way or another, when an idea gets in my head, I capture it somehow. It’s not a perfect system, but I have a foundation I can improve upon. If I’m at home and an idea pops up for work, I send myself an email at my work address (and vice-versa). I use post-it notes, but only if I can’t get to a computer or my phone to send the email. I keep a journal at work and log action items as they come, and I’m starting to experiment with GTD programs like GhostAction and iGTD. Now that I’m in the habit of capturing things, I can work on refining the workflow.

Two Free Chicago Auto Show Passes - Going Quick!

Yesterday, Zach Davis of FQuick/Bill Jacobs (an XNet customer) dropped by our office with a handful of Auto Show passes. We can’t use them all, and I’d like to give away our last two. So, if you want to go to the Chicago Auto Show (last day is Sunday), you might be in luck.

How do you get these two passes? Write a comment to this post by the end of the day Thursday, and in 100 words or less, tell me why you should be the recipient of two free Chicago Auto Show passes. Sometime this evening, I will pick one of the comments to be the recipient. I am the sole judge, and my decision is final. Your entry can be serious or funny, I’ll pick the one I like the most and give that person the tickets.

If I select your entry, you must make arrangements with me to pick them up. I will be at XNet in Lisle during business hours on Friday, and in the Naperville/Wheaton area on Friday evening.
I’m going down to the show with a buddy on Saturday morning. If you’re there and want to meet up, shoot me a call or a text!